Something Pinteresting - Warm & Woolly Style...

Happy Friday!

Brrr, it's been cold out lately.  I think it's time to think warm and snugly thoughts with some 'pins'piration from my pinterest board 'Warm & Woolly Style'.

Starting with the beautiful autumnal colours above in the Ravelry Pattern 'Hedgerow' by Anne Kingstone...

In my mind, Donna Wilson is the queen of warm and woolly style.  

Her bright and quirky designs make me want to cosy up to them with the biggest of smiles.

Here's a link to her website, where you can find a dizzying choice of wonders such as the cushions above and the soft animals below: http://www.donnawilson.com/

Here are some more beautiful patterns from Ravelry that caught my eye...

First up 'Paper Dolls' By Kate Davies...

The next Ravelry pattern is 'Maple' by Marie Wallin.  I just love the use of colour and have a soft spot for a bit of fair isle intricacy...

I also want to share some work from a couple of very lovely British designer makers who are rocking warm and woolly style in every wonderful product.

Lauren Aston creates amazing oversized knits for the home, she's a fabulous Westcountry designer maker and her website can be found here:

http://www.laurenastondesigns.com/

I am loving Natalie Franca's, AKA More Tea Vicar, latest collection of knit wear for this season over on Folksy, such as these cheery cowl infinity scarves which can be found on Folksy here:

https://folksy.com/items/6742258-Cowl-Infinity-Scarf-in-Navy-Blue-Alpaca-Wool

I hope you all have a warm and cosy weekend!

Best wishes

This Much I Know - Websites

Hello,

This week's 'This Much I Know' shares the main things I have learnt about websites.

When I started my little business, this was an area of complete mystery that I threw myself at as I believed that if my strategy was to mainly market my business online, it was vital that I knew how to build and manage my very own home on the web...

This Much I Know About Websites...

1. Websites cost a lot.  Whether it's lots of your money or lots of your time if you opt to D.I.Y - websites take lots of it.  Know this, accept this and factor this into your plans.
2. It's very important to have your own home on the internet which is independent of social media sites.  That is a very sensible thing to do.  Social media sites are unreliable - all it takes is for one to change their rules and that could truly scupper your business if you have relied too heavily on them and not built your marketing efforts on your own foundations (i.e. your own website or blog).
3. Setting up a website is not really as scary as it may seem at first.  It can be done very simply using a blogging site or an easy to learn and use website host site to take the pain away.  Here's a little list of some great sites to help you: blogger, wordpress, tumblr, weebly, create, bigcartel, shopify.  The list goes on and on - I've just jotted down some of the popular ones I'm familiar with.
4. Your website is your shop window - use it to say what you want the world to know.  Keep it up to date and relevant and use it to help gather opt in subscribers to an email list.  It's important to gather your own customer database to ensure you have a way of reaching your customer base that is not reliant on anyone else.  I use mailchimp for my email list and can completely recommend them as you are able to download your list at anytime. Good website host sites (such as the ones I listed in point 3 above) will give you lots of support and information to help you get the most out of your website and help you navigate the world of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to gain traffic to your site.
5. If you want to hire someone to set up your website for you -it's important to take your time to find the right person.  Ask around, especially from people you know with websites you admire. It's important to find someone you can trust, who shares your vision for your site and that you feel you can work with in the long term.  Working with the right person will make the whole process a pleasure rather than a pain!

I hope you found this weeks 5 things I've learnt helpful. 

Next week I am hoping to share a few things I know about Print On Demand sites.

Have a lovely day!

 

Gift Ideas for Her - from my latest collection...

Hello!

Hope you had a lovely weekend. 

With 'Black Friday' looming at the end of this week, thoughts are turning to Christmas shopping.  I've put together a selection from my current online collections to help you gather some ideas for  gifts for her.

At the top is my 'Live in the garden, sleep in the house' print - ideal for a garden lover...

On my website:

http://www.artworkbyangie.com/live-in-the-garden-unframed-print.html#cid=391439

In my folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/items/6758454--Live-In-The-Garden-10x8-Framed-Illustration-Print

In my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/256683100/live-in-the-garden-a4-unframed?ref=shop_home_active_1

For a cat loving lady, there's my 'I'm In Charge' framed illustration print:

On my website...

http://www.artworkbyangie.com/im-in-charge.html#cid=1177777

In my folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/items/6697789--I-m-In-Charge-10x8-Framed-print

In my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/243673668/im-in-charge-a4-unframed-illustration?ref=related-1

For ladies with wanderlust and a thirst for adventure, there's my 2016 Wallplanner 'Plan Amazing Adventures'...

On my website:

http://www.artworkbyangie.com/wall-planner-amazing-adventures.html#cid=1167023

In my folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/items/6695814-2016-Wall-Planner-Plan-Amazing-Adventures

My 2016 A5 sized desk calendar is packed with colour and pretty details, guaranteed to brighten even the dullest of days...

In my folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/items/6717538-2016-Desktop-Calendar-A5-sized

In my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/248975311/2016-desktop-calendar-planner-a5-sized?ref=related-0

I still have a small stock of these handy and very cheerful A5, 40 page weekly notepad planners - who said 'to do' lists need to look boring?!... 

In my folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/items/6569798-Weekly-Planner-Notepad-Craft-Make-all-the-things

https://folksy.com/items/6569806-Weekly-Planner-Notepad-Make-Beautiful-Plans

In my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/213004485/weekly-planner-notepad-craft-make-all?ref=related-2

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/212998538/weekly-planner-notepad-make-beautiful?ref=related-2

Over at my Society 6 shop there's all things bright and beautiful - bringing the best of nature's spring and summer to any home or handbag:

http://society6.com/angiespurgeon

Have a lovely day!

This Much I Know - Selling Online

Hello,

This week's this much I know is all about selling online.

I first dipped my toe into the world of selling my makes online at the end of 2010 when I launched my Folksy shop and website, followed later the following year with an Etsy shop.  It has taken a while to get to grips with it all.  To be completely honest it's been a steep learning curve and one which I am still on, discovering something new everyday.

Here are five of the main things I have learnt along the way, I hope they may help others on the same online selling journey...

This Much I Know About Selling Online....

1. It all starts with a great, unique, lovely, desirable product - if you focus on getting that bit right you are more than half way there
2. Good photography is essential.  It really is make or break.  The photos need to make up for the fact the customer can not pick the item up and get a good look at it, feel it, form an attachment to it.  Good clear photos, in a variety of angles, some with and without a little styling, to help put the product in context, will always increase your chances.
3. Get the price right - The price needs to be fair to the customer and you.  If it's too cheap, not only will you ultimately lose out, you may turn customers off as they will be worried about the quality.  If it's too expensive you may turn people off, or disappoint and risk not getting return custom.  A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on pricing, here's a link to help:  http://artworkbyangie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/this-much-i-know-about-pricing.html
4. Keep your online shops well stocked and looking good.  If you can't keep it stocked, put it in holiday mode with a clear message in the header.  In that message give a clear indication as to why you have no stock (you may have a craft fair or a wholesale order) and when you'll next have stock online or where else they can find you online.  This all seems very simple and obvious, but it's surprising how many shops get left to tumble weed.  You never know who is looking at your shop, you could miss a golden opportunity!
5. Social Media Works - tell everyone on all the social media sites and be consistent about it.  The shops that do best are the ones that cleverly use social media and create a strong brand to build a following and make it easy for people to find them and fall in love with their products.  For more tips on building a brand, here's a link to last week's post about branding: http://artworkbyangie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/this-much-i-know-branding.html and for more tips on social media, I did a post a while ago which goes into detail about each of the main social media sites, here's a link to that too: http://artworkbyangie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/social-media-this-much-i-know.html

 I hope you found those five quick tips useful. Next week I'll be sharing a few things I know about websites.

Have a lovely day!

Something Pinteresting - Stationery Love

Happy Friday!

I make no secret of it, I've always loved pretty stationery as I grew up in an age when writing to pen friends was a pleasure beyond measure! No letter was complete without matching paper, envelope and little stickers!...even the pen you wrote with had to match - such happy, happy times!

Thankfully, we can all still indulge in this as the choice of stunning stationery on the market today is amazing...and it is very satisfying to see, especially in this digital age, that the art of paper correspondence is very much alive and thriving! 

Here are a few of my favourite pics pulled from my pinterest board called 'Stationery Love'...

From the top and the pic above - we have a botanical collection from Roger La Borde.

This perfectly pretty range of paper bags, stickers and washi is by Elizabeth Olwen for Madison Park

A truly gorgeous embroidered notebook from Accessorize

Sunshiny, brightly coloured letterpress cards from Hello Lucky

Botani - Call or Write Stationery Set from Mod Cloth

Last but not least, pretty coloured washi tapes from Paper & Cloth

I hope that has all made you smile!

Have a lovely weekend

This Much I Know - Branding

Hello,

This week's 'This Much I Know' is all about branding.  Each week, with these knowledge sharing posts I stress that I am no expert and that these are things I have learnt over the five years I have been running my business.  However, branding is a subject that I have a good deal of experience in as I'm a Graphic Design graduate with over 12 years experience of working in the advertising industry working with brands at every scale from one man bands to multi-nationals.

Since I went freelance, I have developed branding for MANY small creative businesses and artists.  The one thing that has struck me most over that time is the varying understanding people have about what a brand is.  Which is why, today, rather than share 5 things I have learnt in the 5 years since I began my business, I'll share 5 key things I know about branding that may help others gain a clearer idea of exactly what it is and how to make it work hard for them and their business.

This Much I Know About Branding...

1. Branding is not just a logo.  It is an ethos, a vision, a mission and a set of values.  It is basically the way you communicate all of that with your desired target market.  Put simply, it is the way you tell the world about what it is you do and want to achieve.  The logo is a part of that communication - an icon to embody it all.  Branding is more than that though, it's the language you use, the images you choose to represent you, where you choose to be seen,  how you package your products, how you handle an order or deal with a complaint etc...With artists, the brand is generally you!
2. The key to it all is to simply understand what you makes you unique.  What are your values? your vision? what are you aiming for? where do you want to be in the short and long term. How would other's describe you? How should it all look? If you were a colour what would you be? why?  When you establish the answers to these sorts of questions you'll have the language for your brand.
3. Have fun finding out the answers to these questions. Create mood boards, collect imagery, make it visual and enjoy the whole process of finding out.  It will be time very well spent as without knowing those answers you will struggle to create a cohesive brand or brief a designer to develop branding that works for you. 
4. Consistency is vital as it makes it easy for others to understand your brand and identify with you.  When you're consistent it makes it very quick for people to buy into your brand, and once they have bought into you, it is very reassuring to see consistent branding as people feel they know you. It's fine to dramatically change your branding if you need to re-position yourself to attract a new or different market...but be aware that you could lose loyal customers that don't share your new vision and no longer identify with you.
5. Be clear on where you want to be in 3-5 years with your business and ensure that vision is reflected in your branding.  Investing in well branded materials can be costly over time. Chopping and changing your branding is not only confusing and off putting for customers it can leave you sitting on wasted stocks of business cards, stickers, packaging etc. which is no good for the bottom line of your business either.  Basically, it all stems from clearly understanding what your brand is about. 

I hope you found this week's 5 tips helpful.  Next week I plan to share some things I've learnt about selling online.

Until then, have a lovely day!

Best wishes

Showcasing This Year's Collection of Christmas Cards...

Hello,

Today's post is a quick round up of my current collection of Christmas Cards.

This year I am mainly offering three main multipacks.

The first of those is pictured above and is part of my 'Tis The Season' range.  

It features six merry and bright designs based on the titles of popular Christmas songs. All created with a cheery, playfulness in my winter wonderland!....

The second multipack is a sweet collection featuring festive puddings and desserts for those who love to indulge in all the treats of the season, or simply enjoy baking such delights for their loved ones...

The third pack is a pack of six from my original 'Tis The Season' range which is more pattern focused. 

The image below is a store shot from last year from a local stockist.  It's a very handy image as it nicely shows most of the designs in all of these packs in one place!... 

You can find all the cards featured on this post listed in my online shops here:

website: http://www.artworkbyangie.com/product-catalog.html#category=christmas&search=

Folksy: https://folksy.com/shops/artworkbyangie/collections/248155

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ArtworkByAngie?section_id=17912928&ref=shopsection_leftnav_6

Each pack is £10 plus P&P for six cards.

I'll be back tomorrow with the next part of my 'This Much I know' series, which will be on the topic of branding, I hope you can join me then.

Best wishes

Something Pinteresting - Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!...

Happy 5th November!

An explosive date to remember.

My something pinteresting post is going out a day early this week as it is all about celebrating Fireworks night and the spirit of anarchy in the UK. 

I've been picking some pins from my pinterest board called 'Britishness': 

https://www.pinterest.com/artworkbyangie/britishness/

The illustration above is by illustrator Dick Vincent.

The vibrant illustration above is by David Oku for a poster for the London Transport Museum...

The vintage 'Fireworks' poster above is for London, Midlands & Scottish Railway 

And finally, a cheeky little nod to anarchy in the UK by Hugleikur Dagsson...

Have a very happy Guy Fawkes Night and stay safe lovely people!

Best wishes

This Much I Know About - Pricing...

Hello,

This week's 'This Much I Know' tackles the tricky, prickly issue of pricing. 

I say this every week, I am no expert...and I must confess, for me this has been one of the hardest areas of the business to get to grips with.  I know from conversations with friends who also run creative businesses that I am not alone in feeling that way.

Finding a good formula for pricing and valuing my work has really helped get things off the ground for me. I want to share a bit of what I've learnt about that so that it may help other's who find themselves in a similar situation.

This Much I Know About - Pricing... 

1. Work out what YOU NEED and what TIME YOU HAVE to achieve it realistically so that you can calculate your ideal hourly rate. As your business grows and takes on greater overheads or if you find you have less time to work on things - your hourly rate may need to alter. There are plenty of hourly rate and pricing formulas that you can download to help you work it all out and ensure that you have your pricing level set where you need it. What you need will certainly differ from the next person.  The Etsy seller handbook is a great resource, as is Folksy's Seller Blog.  When it came to calculating my hourly rate I found Chapter 5 of Meg Mateo and Joy Cho's book Creative Inc has a fantastic formula which is extremely thorough and helps you work it all out without kidding yourself. I found it a great checklist to ensure you cover every cost at whatever stage you are in business.
2. Value yourself, your time and factor in wholesale/gallery prices, whether you intend to sell wholesale/through galleries or not. That's the fair market value for your work and helps avoid excluding future opportunities just because your margins are far too narrow.  
3. Pricing formulas are great, here are links to a couple of decent ones: Etsy Blog  Folksy Blog
4. Be mindful of the sweet spot between market value (i.e. what the competition is charging/what the customer is prepared to pay) and your ideal price.  Try not to fall into the trap of comparing with mass market when you are limited edition or one of a kind.  Always look for fair comparisons to gauge your true market value.  An under priced limited edition/ one of a kind can put off potential buyers as it raises suspicions about quality - just as easily as an over priced item turns buyers off.
5. If there's not enough profit in it once you've calculated your price, then it's not worth pursuing - either modify it to make the margins work or move on. Under pricing can cost you dearly in the long run as you'll be running to stand still with your business and you'll be contributing to the race to the bottom with other creative businesses - which is just not fair on anyone, let alone yourself!

I hope you found today's 5 things very useful.  The good stuff is in following the links to those pricing formulas and sitting down and working it all out - it will be time extremely well spent.

If you have any useful tips on pricing, your comments below would be very welcome.

You may also enjoy catching up on these posts from the past two weeks:

Staying Inspired and Being Creative:
http://artworkbyangie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/this-much-i-know-staying-inspired-being.html

Growing a Creative Business to Serve YOU!:
http://artworkbyangie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/this-much-i-know-growing-business-to.html

Next week I will be sharing a few tips on branding.  

Until then, have a lovely day!